Category Archives: The kids corner

Gaming, The kids corner

The Journey of Kid Gaming: Watching My Son Fall in Love With My Singing Monsters

Video

There’s something magical about watching your child find a world they truly adore — and for my son, that world is MSM. Yes, I’ve learned recently it stands for My Singing Monsters, and honestly? It’s adorable.

I’ve watched him go from casually opening the game… to becoming a fully committed little monster maestro.
The kind of commitment that looks like:

✨ Staying up late waiting for game updates
✨ Saving every dollar of pocket money to buy gems
✨ Carefully planning his island layouts like a mini architect
✨ Mastering breeding combos like he’s running a genetics lab

And in the middle of all that? Pure, unfiltered joy.

As a mum, it’s easy to underestimate games. We worry about screen time, we worry about distractions, we worry about tired eyes and forgotten lunch boxes… but then you see this side of gaming:

The creativity.
The patience.
The excitement of unlocking a new monster.
The way he beams when he teaches me the characters’ names — as if I’m the student in his tiny classroom.
The pride in saving his own money and choosing how to spend it.

It’s not just a game to him. It’s his little universe.

And I love that he gets to be just a kid in it.

A kid who is passionate.
A kid who is imaginative.
A kid who celebrates small wins.
A kid who stays up (a bit too late sometimes) waiting for something he’s excited about.

Isn’t that exactly what childhood should be?

In a world that grows up too fast, these are the moments I treasure:
Watching him record his MSM videos… hearing him giggle when his monsters start singing… seeing him proudly show me his island like it’s a work of art.

It reminds me that joy doesn’t have to be complicated.
Sometimes it’s just a boy, a phone, a singing monster, and a mum smiling from the doorway.

Pokemon cards, Serving happiness

Why $660 on Pokémon cards wasn’t really about the cards at all

On paper, spending $660 on Pokémon cards doesn’t make sense.

It’s not the “logical” thing to do. It’s not an investment strategy. It’s not a necessity.

And it definitely isn’t something any financial advisor would celebrate.

But here’s the quiet truth underneath the noise:

I’m not really collecting Pokémon cards. I’m collecting moments with my kids.

In a world obsessed with optimisation, efficiency, and “making smart choices,” we forget something important: Not everything that matters can be measured.

And not every meaningful moment comes wrapped in logic.

Sometimes the things that nourish us most make zero financial sense — and infinite emotional sense.

The Real Beauty Behind the Packs

Every pack we open together is a ritual.

The excitement.

The predictions.

The loud “NO WAY!” when we land a hit.

The laughter when we pull yet another duplicate.

The way my kids’ eyes light up like they’ve just found treasure.

In those moments, I’m not a manager, a leader, or an adult juggling responsibilities.

I’m just Mum.

Fully present.

Fully theirs.

And that is the real value — one that no PSA rating or market price can ever match.

Why Serving Happiness Matters

We spend so much of our lives being logical: Make the practical choice. Save the sensible amount. Choose stability. Follow the rules. Do the “right” thing.

But what about joy?

What about connection?

What about the memories we’ll hold onto long after the logic fades into dust?

Serving happiness isn’t reckless.

It’s intentional.

It’s choosing what matters most even when it doesn’t add up on a spreadsheet.

Because the one thing life keeps teaching me is this:

Presence is the real currency.

And joy is the real return.

A Reminder I Keep Coming Back To

When my kids grow up, they won’t remember how much I earned.

They won’t remember what was “logical.”

They won’t remember the sensible decisions I made in boardrooms.

But they will remember:

Sitting next to me tearing open packs The sound of our collective gasp when we hit something big The inside jokes The energy The softness The time The love

That’s the legacy I’m building.

Not a binder full of cards, but a childhood full of memories.

So yes, I spent $660 on Pokémon cards.

But what I really bought was joy, connection, presence, and moments I’ll never get back.

Happiness over logic. Every single time.

Family life, The kids corner

🎾 Mum Duty Chronicles: The Tennis Lesson Edition

Me: professional driver, water-bottle refiller, and motivational coach (for one small tennis star).

Between packing snacks, finding missing rackets, and trying to remember if it’s court 3 or court 4 this week — motherhood feels like a full-time logistics role with overtime in encouragement.

But then I watch her walk out onto that court, ponytail bouncing, racket in hand, confidence growing, and I remember why I love this chaos. Every missed serve, every giggle between drills, every “Mum, did you see that one?” makes it all worth it.

Parenting isn’t glamorous; it’s sweaty, messy, and somehow still the most beautiful thing. Because in between the runs to tennis, the snack runs, and the life runs, we’re teaching our kids to show up, try again, and laugh when it goes sideways.

So here’s to all the mums out there running on caffeine and love, courtside, car-side, or anywhere in between.

Pokemon cards, Serving happiness, Videos

When You Limit Yourself to 4 Packs a Day 😅 — Mega Symphonia Unwraps

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There’s a special kind of self-control that comes with being a Pokémon card collector… and then there’s pretending to have self-control.

The Japanese Mega Symphonia set has been sitting there whispering our name all week — that glossy artwork, the texture, the shimmer that hits differently under sunlight. And honestly, who can resist the suspense of wondering what’s hiding behind that next tear of foil?